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Although these tourism treasures cover a sizeable area, it's often specific and iconic monuments within these sites that have been targeted either by terrorists or by vandals.

Ancient City of Damascus

Ancient City of Damascus before the fighting begun (above). There's been reports of mortar damage to the old sites and the newer parts of the city now looks completely empty of residents

Considered one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, Damascus has existed since the third millennium BC.

Previous excavations of the site show past influences from the Roman and Byzantine empires.

There are around 125 protected monuments and many artefacts from around Syria have been shipped to Damascus for safe-keeping.

But while the city has not been destroyed, there have been reports of mortar damage to relics according to Unesco.

Ancient City of Bosra

The Roman amphitheatre in Bosra, one of its best known sites. It's not known exactly how much damage has been inflicted on the stone work

Bosra in southern Syria was once the capital of the province of Arabia under Roman rule and it's been on the Unesco Heritage List since 1980.

A second century Roman theatre, early Christian ruins and several mosques are all among the sites that make the city worthy of protection.

MailOnline Travel reported last year that although the city had been recaptured by Syrian rebels, there has been visible damage to the ancient stonework and Roman mosaics.

Palmyra

Site of Palmyra before the destruction began. It was home to Graeco-Roman architecture and monuments

The site has been targeted by ISIS for successive attacks with several sites already confirmed destroyed

The sites in Palmyra has been one of the most visibly damaged in Syria with ISIS posting videos of their acts of destruction.

Once one of the most important cultural centres of the country and of the ancient world, it was home to many iconic Graeco-Roman architecture and monuments.

The 'oasis of the Syrian desert' is under the control of ISIS and has seen its most important monuments successively destroyed.

So far, the Arch of Triumph, shrine of Baalshamin and the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel have all fallen in the terror group's trail of destruction.

Ancient City of Aleppo

Ancient City of Aleppo dates back to the second millennium BC has seen damage from shelling and artillery

Aleppo, another ancient city dating back to the second millennium BC, has been ruled by nations including the Hittites, Assyrians, Mongols and Ottomans.

It's home to mosques, palaces and hammams,

Some of the heaviest fighting has taken place in the city with untold damage caused by shelling and artillery.

The Great Mosque of Aleppo, one of the city's most important sites, has reportedly been destroyed.

Crac des Chevaliers and Qal'at Salah El-Din

Crac des Chevaliers has survived crusades but has been left in rubble after it was used as a base by rebels

Qal'at Salah El-Din, the other fortress in Syria, was already partially in ruins. It's not clear whether there has been further damage since the war began

The fortress castles of Crac des Chevaliers and Qal'at Salah El-Din have both been inscribed onto the Unesco Heritage List for their representation of 'fortified architecture in the Near East'.

Built in the 11th and 10th centuries respectively and then fortified over time, they showed traces of the Byzantine, Crusader and Islamic periods.

Qal'at Salah El-Din was already partially in ruins and there were reports of fighting in the area but it's not clear whether the heritage site has managed to survive.

Crac des Chevaliers, which has survived the crusades, is lying in virtual ruins after being used as a base by Syrian rebels.

Ancient Villages of Northern Syria

Around 40 villages founded between the first and seventh centuries are part of the Unesco Heritage List because they reveal so much about the life in those times.

They were all abandoned between the eighth and tenth centuries, meaning that they've been virtually untouched in the hundreds of years since.

Although there's no current reports of damage to the site, they are situated in the northern tip of the country, close to Aleppo and the border to Turkey, which means that they are at risk of damage too.